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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · chair · fork · hide · shower · rash · arm · band

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. shower — rain
  15. root — the cause
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. root — of a word
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com